Former South Africa skipper AB de Villiers sprang a surprise on Wednesday by announcing his retirement from all forms of international cricket with immediate effect.
I had my time and to be honest I am tired. This is a tough decision, I thought long and hard about it and I wanted to retire while still playing decent cricket. After fantastic series wins against India and Australia, now feels the right time to step aside.AB de Villiers
The 34-year-old batsman brought a close to a sterling 14-year career, which saw him finish with a staggering 20,014 international runs (8765 in Tests, 9577 in ODIs and 1672 in T20Is).
Here’s a look at ten big stats from AB de Villiers’ international career.
1. Highest Average in World Cup
It was an open secret that AB de Villiers was adamant to help South Africa win their first-ever World Cup title. In his last World Cup in 2015, De Villiers led South Africa to the semi-final, but the Proteas couldn’t manage to hold their nerve in the last four match against New Zealand.
De Villiers, who has the highest average in World Cup to his name, finished as the third highest scorer (482 runs) in the 2015 World Cup.
2. Fastest Fifty and Century in ODIs
AB de Villiers holds the record for the fastest fifty and century in ODIs. The 34-year-old achieved both the feats in the same match!
During the second ODI against West Indies in Johannesburg in 2015, de Villiers smashed 149 runs off 44 balls. He first recorded the fastest fifty by scoring the half-century in 16 balls and then scored the fastest century in 31 balls.
3. Most Sixes Hit in an ODI Innings
During his knock against West Indies, De Villiers equaled Rohit Sharma’s record for hitting the most number of sixes in an innings. The South African smacked 9 fours and 16 sixes, helping his team to a mammoth total of 439/2. The Proteas won the match by 148 runs.
4. Fifth Most Sixes in ODIs
When it comes to hitting maximums, AB de Villiers is in the top five of the most sixes in ODIs list. The former South Africa captain has the great ability of building an innings with ones and twos and then finishing off with big hits all around the park.
5. AB de Villiers in Tests
AB de Villiers maybe known for his big sixes in limited-overs cricket, but he could turn into a perfect Test match batsman whenever he wore the whites. He has contributed a staggering 16 centuries to South Africa’s wins in Tests from his debut in 2004.
Apart from being a brilliant fielder, de Villiers has also donned the gloves for the Proteas, effecting five stumpings.
6. Second Most Runs for South Africa in International Cricket
AB de Villiers finished as the second highest run-getter for South Africa in international cricket. The right-hand batsman, who scored 47 international centuries, finishes ahead of Hashim Amla, Graeme Smith and Herschelle Gibbs.
7. Third Best Batting Strike-Rates in ODIs
AB de Villiers scored 9,577 runs in 228 matches, but the more astonishing stat is that his career strike-rate is over 100. It’s incredible of him to record a batting average of 53.50 at a strike-rate of 101.10.
Shahid Afridi and Virender Sehwag, who have better strike rates, recorded ODI averages of 23.57 and 35.05 in their careers.
8. Second Fastest to 9000 Runs
AB de Villiers became the fastest player to reach 9000 ODI runs during a match against New Zealand in Wellington in February 2017. The South African broke Sourav Ganguly’s 13-year-old record.
However, a few months later, his good friend Virat Kohli broke de Villiers’ record during an ODI against New Zealand in Kanpur in October 2017.
9. Second Highest ODI Batting Average for Captains
Responsibility of leading the ODI side certainly pepped up AB de Villiers to lead from the front. He scored 4,796 runs at an average of 63.95 as captain. De Villiers recorded a win percentage of 60.10 with 59 wins and 39 losses in ODIs.
10. Fourth Highest Batting Average in ODIs
AB de Villiers’ consistency in ODIs can be seen through his incredible average of 53.50. The South African, who usually batted in the top order, saw through tough phases for his team and also went onto end the South African innings with a flourish.
(With inputs from IANS)
(Statistics by Arun Gopalakrishnan)
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